For rich and poor in Russia Essay

I leaned my back on my big black chair. The cushion, now deep and saggy, still feels comfortable. It has been ten long years of sitting on the same chair yet I can still feel its soft leather and now dilapidated covers. This high-back chair has been with me since day one. It surely has witnessed countless heated arguments with my staff, serious conversations with directors, even termination scenes with employees. Today, as I am about to make the biggest decision for the company, the chair will once more bear witness to my decision-making. So I reached for the topmost document from a pile of white papers on my desk. This was from yesterday’s presentation. It read, â€Å"Strategy for Expansion,† with bold letters that seemed to be screaming at me. Yes, after ten long years of doing business, we have finally decided to widen our horizons and look for other markets to tap into. I stretched my feet under the table, putting back the document I sighed and asked myself, â€Å"Are we ready to do this? † â€Å"Sir, everyone is waiting for you in the boardroom,† my secretary interrupted. This is just one of the vivid scenes recurring to me whenever I think about my future career. Indeed I aspire to sit on the manager’s chair of a successful company in my home country of Russia. Yet the road towards that aspiration is long and bumpy, not to mention competitive and challenging especially in today’s business world. As this is the case, I deem that I need top-notch and excellent education and rigid practical training from a prestigious educational institution. Hence, I have chosen the European School of Economics to major in International Business. Primarily, I regard that an international learning environment offered by ESE is crucial in today’s competitive business world so as to prepare and train me in building a career in business especially in this time of globalization. Since ESE is home to students of different nationalities and allows free movement between the centers in London, New York, Rome, Milan, and Florence, I am certain to experience a dynamic, interesting, and challenging academic environment necessary in today’s competitive atmosphere of business. ESE will further hone my skills and strengthen my knowledge in preparation for my entry into the global marketplace by providing practical training or real-life application of business theories and perspectives through exposure and involvement in creating strategic plans, managing international projects, and addressing various challenges in today’s global business environment. Evidence of ESE’s capacity to do this is the myriad of graduates who are the movers and shakers in the business field occupying positions in management, organizational operations, marketing, and customer care, among others. Another testament to ESE’s ability to educate me excellently are the recognitions it has received. In fact, ESE programs have been validated by the highest ranked university by British students and the only independent university in the United Kingdom, the University of Buckingham. It is also accredited by the British Accreditation Council. Furthermore, I have been drawn to ESE’s philosophy of not just assisting students in choosing a career that suits them but more so encouraging them to fulfill their goals by chasing their dreams and doing what they love. This kind of encouraging environment will definitely ease the stress and pressures attached with higher education, not to mention bring fun and active spirit amidst academic requirements. Moreover, another significant factor in choosing ESE is its revered internship program. Since the school has established relationships with successful global companies, I am guaranteed to gain the needed exposure and adequate training necessary before entering the real business world. Particularly in my chosen major where I will be exposed to three internship placements, I will have the opportunity to explore which field I may be good at, to assess my own skills for future practice, and to earn the trust and confidence of employers for future employment options. Above all, I have chosen ESE, particularly the Bachelor’s Degree in International Business because of the quality of education that I will receive should I be accepted in the said program. Included in this quality education are the analytical and critical thinking skills that I will acquire, which will aid me in future organizational decisions. Furthermore, the kind of learning I will gain in the said program will give me a deep comprehension of the global business environment and the different factors that influence investment, trade, and the economy, thereby allowing me to come up with strategic business plans in the future. In addition, an ESE education will further strengthen my communication skills crucial in local and international business transactions and dealings as well as develop my creativity and flexibility in responding to various challenges that face the business environment. Because of all these qualities, I aspire to be one of the students to be educated with an ESE education. However, this education will not just be for me but for my country as well. As a Russian native, I have seen the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Though everyone seems to be climbing up the ladder of economic progress, the rich people continue to become richer very quickly and as a result, the gap continues to expand (Arvedlund, 2005). Hence, as someone with business and economic knowledge, I dream of working in an area where I can help bridge this gap – the supermarket industry. In 2001, it was only forecasted that supermarkets will gain momentum in Russia as the demand for food caused by the increasing purchasing power of Russians skyrocketed. In the past though, supermarkets were known to be exclusively high-income shopping places while outside markets are pictures of low and middle class shopping (Kozlov, 2001). While supermarkets provide all the conveniences of shopping, the prices of goods are high; while local stores’ prices are low, the quality of products is poor. Moreover, it was reported in 2008 that foreign supermarkets are beginning to expand their markets by establishing outlets in Russia, particularly in Moscow. Majority of these supermarket giants have been household names in developed nations. Their goal is to target consumers with a growing dispensable income by combining high quality products and low prices (Bentley, 2008). However, what I am aiming for is an all original Russian supermarket merging the features of a supermarket and a local store. My long-term professional dream is to establish a chain of supermarkets characterized by high standard goods, convenient shopping, low prices, and authentically Russian ambiance, where everyone regardless of income can enjoy shopping. After some time when the company has been established and have enough profits to sustain the business and even to venture out in other endeavors, we will expand to include charity work in our goals. This social responsibility is one aspect that many Russian companies seem to neglect. Hence, this dream will somehow decrease the gap between the rich and the poor and in a way support the less-fortunate to climb up the economic ladder quickly. Moreover, it is this very dream that inspired me to pursue a career in business; majoring in International Business in ESE is the first step towards this. Indeed the primary role of businesses, whether small, medium, or large, and local or international, is to create products and services and sell these to communities to gain profit for wealth creation in society (International Organization of Employers, 2005). How to effectively and efficiently achieve this purpose is what aspiring businessmen like me wish to study and master. The principles of marketing, various business methods, economics, business law and ethical practice, management and organization, and finance – these are just few elements that businesses need to take into consideration on their way to making profit. Yet beyond money matters, businesses have ventured out to include social responsibility and accountability to community as part of their strategy. For instance, businesses have sought to advance the quality of life like McDonald’s advocating for animal welfare, education of youth, clean environment, and charitable efforts (McDonalds, 2010). Moreover, businesses have also used their resources to embed social responsibility in their goods and services as in Vodafone’s Mpesa program in Kenya that enables people to do mobile banking and the content-filtering system the company incorporated for parents and children’s protection (Demos, 2006). If these companies successfully accomplished these endeavors, then it will not be impossible for the others to follow suit. Hence, I aim to do just that in my future business. To do this, I will apply my experience in interacting with different types of culture that I gained from living in several countries. Likewise, I will use my skills in developing relationships and working in groups to expand my business, develop ethical approaches in doing business, and incorporate charitable programs that will foster a symbiotic relationship between my business and the community or society. Since there are problems ahead, the analytical knowledge that business education will equip will come in handy. Nonetheless, this analytical approach will not only be applicable within the bounds of business but outside the business world as well. For instance, the lessons learned from economics, finance, and marketing will enable me to become an intelligent consumer. Moreover, the values taught by management and organization will help me manage my time and organize my schedule. In addition, the values acquired from business law and ethics will support my personal judgment and decisions in life and at work. Needless to say, I am fit to achieve all these through an ESE education because I am a hard worker and a leader. Testament to this is my experience working in the marketing department of a shoe company. Though a greenhorn, I was immediately tasked to handle the marketing plan for the newest line of rubber shoes. Together with the team, I looked into previous plans from the department and examined the core values of the company. I then gathered them and brainstormed on what marketing strategy would be best for the new shoe line. I assigned each member a task that includes researching the marketing environment, reviewing past marketing activities, studying the company’s marketing system, and devising methods to analyze marketing plan’s effectiveness. With all our inputs, we were able to come up with a solid strategy, which the company used to introduce the new product to the market. From this work experience, I showcased my leadership and management abilities to produce good results. I was also able to display responsibility, meticulousness, organization, and ability to work well with others to ensure that the task assigned to me was smooth sailing from beginning to end. All these qualities will come in handy in the real global competitive business world. Nonetheless, my life is not all work and business. I also use my time doing fun activities such as swimming and yoga, both of which ease my mind from the pressures of school, work, and personal life. In my spare time, I read books and newspapers. I find current events, politics, history, and business the most interesting topics to read about as they give me awareness of past and present events that shape people and ultimately influence their decisions and actions. Furthermore, I also devote my time in volunteer work. In fact, I was recently in Tijuana, Mexico to help build houses for homeless families in the said area and also in the reservation in Taos, New Mexico to immerse myself in the Pueblo culture together with Pueblo school children. I have likewise participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes in San Francisco, CA for a number of times. The said experiences deepened my understanding of different kinds of people and made me appreciate life more. They also inspired me to do more for the community and society as there are many people who need help, care, and attention. Therefore, in the future, I wish to extend my hand to the underprivileged and unnoticed sectors of society. Before doing this though, I wish to earn my master’s degree to strengthen the undergraduate education I will acquire. This way, my dream of establishing and managing a solely Russian-based company will be easier to achieve. Additionally, earning a master’s degree will make me a more effective leader and manager bringing a Western style of conducting business, which I believe is more efficient when applied in the Russian environment. The higher degree will also strengthen the knowledge and skills I gained from studying in various parts of the world and from interacting with different cultures in bringing a global and efficient approach to the company and in promoting charity and community work as an integral component in today’s business world. So I stared at my secretary for a couple of minutes and then she said, â€Å"Sir, is there something wrong? Everyone is waiting.. † I did not let her finish and instead I asked, â€Å"Do you think it is time for me to buy a new chair? † â€Å"I most certainly think so, Sir. † With that, I already know what decision to deliver in the boardroom. References Arvedlund, E. E. (2005). For rich and poor in Russia, gap widens. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2005/04/26/business/worldbusiness/26iht-ruble. html? _r=2 Bentley, E. (2008). Supermarket giants check out Russia. The Moscow News. Retrieved from http://www. mn. ru/business/20080904/55345070. html Demos, T. (2006). Beyond the bottom line: Our second annual ranking of Global 500 companies. CNN. Retrieved from http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391850/index. htm International Organization of Employers. (2005). The role of business within society: Position paper. Geneva: International Organization of Employers. 1-10. Kozlov, V. (2001). Supermarkets gain momentum in Moscow. The Russia Journal. Retrieved from http://www. russiajournal. com/node/5018 McDonalds. (2010). Values in action. Retrieved from http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/our_story/values_in_action. html

Monopoly †micro Economics Essay

Monopoly is a market structure in which there is a single seller, there are no close substitutes for the commodity it produces and there are barriers to entry in same industry. Characteristics of Monopoly †¢Single Seller: There is only one seller; he can control either price or supply of his product. But he cannot control demand for the product, as there are many buyers. †¢No close Substitutes: there are any close substitutes for the product. The buyers have no alternatives or choice. Either they have to buy the product or go without it. †¢Price: The monopolist has control over the supply so as to increase the price. Sometimes he may adopt price discrimination. He may fix different prices for different sets of consumers. A monopolist can either fix the price or quantity of output; but he cannot do both, at the same time. †¢No Entry: there is any freedom to other producers to enter the market as the monopolist is enjoying monopoly power. There are strong barriers for new firms to enter. There are legal, technological, economic and natural obstacles, which may block the entry of new producers. †¢Firm and Industry: Under monopoly, there is no difference between a firm and an industry. As there is only one firm, that single firm constitutes the whole industry. Causes for Monopoly †¢Natural: A monopoly may arise on account of some natural causes. Some minerals are available only in certain regions. For example, South Africa has the monopoly of diamonds; nickel in the world is mostly available in Canada and oil in Middle East. This is natural monopoly. †¢Technical: Monopoly power may be enjoyed due to technical reasons. A firm may have control over raw materials, technical knowledge, special know-how, scientific secrets and formula that enable a monopolist to produce a commodity. e. g. , Coco Cola. †¢Legal: Monopoly power is achieved through patent rights, copyright and trade marks by the producers. This is called legal monopoly. †¢Large Amount of Capital: The manufacture of some goods requires a large amount of capital or lumpiness of capital. All firms cannot enter the field because they cannot afford to invest such a large amount of capital. This may give rise to monopoly. For example, iron and steel industry, railways, etc. †¢State: Government will have the sole right of producing and selling some goods. They are State monopolies. For example, we have public utilities like electricity and railways. These public utilities are undertaken by the State. Examples of Monopoly in Market In today’s Market monopoly does not exist today there is cut throat competition in all the fields but still there are few industries which have monopoly those are mentioned below. †¢Indian Railways †¢Airlines in India till liberalization. †¢OPEC ( A Group of Oil producing countries come together to form a organization and rule market) †¢Microsoft (An Information Technology Firm) †¢Monopoly can also exist within Pharmaceutical companies where when one gets patent rights they are the only company producing the medicine and no one else can produce. Here above we saw example of Microsoft. Microsoft is a company that produces Operating System for computers which is the only graphical user interface between machine and human. There are other companies also like MAC. But as per patent they only work for Apple. Where as all other computer manufacturer are left with only option as Microsoft and its product. This is how Microsoft is under Monopolistic Condition and Market circumstances. And above mentioned all the characteristic can also be related to the example of monopoly. Today we have seen that Microsoft is a multi Billion Dollar Multinational company. This has grown over a period of time just because of its monopoly and very less competitors. This tells us the Different ways by which a monopoly power of the company can grow. And company can make very good amount of profits.

Nokia's Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Nokia's Marketing - Case Study Example The report tries to understand the effects globalisation and the economic downturn have on this organisation. The theories and practices related to marketing during an economic downturn are delved into while trying to examine how the organisation responds and deals with the challenges this situation poses. An organisation has to resort to several drastic and innovative measures to survive, maintain and thrive during a period of economic slump. The report examines the strategies adopted by Nokia to sustain during this time. The theories related to globalisation have also been studied with particular reference to Nokia and the process by which and the extent to which the company has undergone internationalisation and the global marketing strategies adopted by the company. The issues of globalisation and economic slump inter-react in different ways and the consequences are varied for different industries and different organisations. While the combined impact of globalisation and the economic downturn is extremely adverse for many organisations in several sectors, it has been possible for some organisations in some sectors to take advantage of globalisation to sail through the storms of recession. The report looks into how Nokia has tried to utilise the advantages of one for withstanding the impact of the other. "When the economy heads south, marketing lands on the chopping block" ("Marketing during a downturn," 2008, p.4). During a financial crunch, it is the marketing budget that gets cut first. At the time of presentation of the report, 60% of the large companies were expecting to cut down, if not already done so, their marketing expenditure. The contingent strategy adopted here is shifting from traditional marketing to online marketing whereby the companies are spending more on direct marketing while spending less on branding. Moreover, several marketing professionals feel that it is needless to spend separately on branding and direct marketing, as these goals can be achieved together. Larger companies, which provide larger budgets for marketing, also make the larger cuts during an economic downturn. Smaller companies, which do not have a considerable budget for marketing, obviously do not and cannot resort to any significant degree of cuts in their marketing budgets ("Marketing during a downturn," 2008, p.5). On the other hand, when the buying patterns are not affected much, the marketing budgets may not be slashed. However, in such cases, keeping direct expenditure on the media the same, the budget on marketing overheads that do not directly translate into revenue may be slashed. Companies going through a stage of growth may not cut down on marketing as acquiring their share of the market is crucial for them at this stage. Besides, there are also marketing professionals who opine that it is damaging for companies to cut back during difficult times, as marketing can help companies gain a larger voice and make themselves heard better in the marketplace during diffi cult times when their competitors are cutting back ("Marketing during a downturn," 2008, p.8). At a time, when the consumers are not willing to spend money on anything that is not an absolute necessity, it would be beneficial to stress on the value of the product and the cost savings associated with buying it. Giving products at lower prices, giving longer free trial periods, giving money back guarantees and such other risk-free

Case Study, KKC Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

, KKC - Case Study Example KKC management has decided not to overburden its customers with the transportation tariff, and therefore it incurs all the payment towards insurance of the goods and its safety; the customer is liable to only pay for the transportation charges upon receipt of the product. As per the customer survey, less than 5percent of the customers have asked for delivery within period of 4days. In this case, we will try to satisfy 95percent of the customers by developing transportation strategy through which delivery can be made within 4days. On daily basis Houston, Minneapolis and Little Rock are the locations where less than 20units are procured on daily basis. In other locations, the average demand is more than 40units; therefore we would give Houston, Minneapolis and Little Rock relatively lower priority. We are ignoring Little Rock and Minneapolis for daily shipment; therefore KKC will not post its cargo through to these locations directly through airline. KKC is advised to post its units from Houston to Denver, Little Rock and Minneapolis through trucks. From the given figures, it is evident that transportation from Houston and Atlanta shall be feasible option for the company. Houston and Atlanta shall be the focal points from San Francisco and Los Angeles. From these two primary locations, further shipment shall be carried through trucks. The company is advised to adhere to safe policy related to the inventory count, and storage of units at private depots shall never be considered a safe option. The count of units is not high enough to advise company for expansion of its business unit at this stage, however company is advised to focus on marketing side to capture

Shuttle Wagons Project Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shuttle Wagons Project Plan - Essay Example After completion, the tunnel is meant to join the United Kingdom and France. It will be the longest underwater tunnel in the whole world with a total length of 50 kilometers. The tunnel is inherently a rail transport system, which will enable Eurotunnel, to avail a dive-on shuttle service for the normal road vehicles between the two terminals. Project background Eurotunnel contracted TransManche Link (TML) for the building of the channel tunnel. TML then subcontracted different roll shock manufactures for the buildings of the Shuttle Wagons. The project had a tight timescale and had heavy liquidated damages that were associated with the delays. This paper looks at the design and the manufacture of the transport vehicles called the Shuttle Wagons. The first half of the passenger shuttles comprises a locomotive, twelve single deck wagons for the coaches, the off-loaded wagon, and a loader wagon. The other half is comprised of a similar design but has a two-tier system of wagons for car s. Each single deck is designed to carry a coach while the double deck wagons are designed to carry a maximum of five cars in every deck, which adds up to ten in a single wagon (Harris, 2006 p32). The wagons were designed to enclose the passengers in the vehicles providing a fire resistance for thirty minutes. The reason for this design was that the journey from one terminal to another takes about five minutes. If, by chance, a fire started at the time the shuttle enters the tunnel, the fire would be contained up to the time the shuttle will reach the other end of the tunnel. The policy of keeping the passengers in the shuttle until the wagon reached its destination enables any residual incident to be dealt with in the specially designed emergency siding (Harris, 2006 p67). There was the need to have a drive on and off system that required the unrestricted access to the entire length of the twelve wagon units during the loading and the unloading process. The design concept also requ ired each wagon to be self-contained with a fire resisting enclosure for the whole journey; it was essential to have fire shutters at the end of each wagon. Identification of project management related issues The design parameters became a challenge and had to ensure that there is minimum protrusion into the wagon in practice. The design also had to incorporate pass doors through which passengers were expected to evacuate in case of emergencies like a fire outbreak, it has a minimum of 30 minutes of fire resistance and could withstand the pressure regime of the shuttle passing along the tunnel. The shutters also had to have a minimum leakage rate to maintain the least fire extinguishing concentration of Halon within the Wagon (Harris, 2006 p67). The major aspects of the design operation and construction of the channel tunnel required the approval of the intergovernmental commission. The major focus, at the beginning of the project, was on the safety, security, defense, and the envir onmental issues. This shows that at first the design parameters were not certain during the designing phase (Harris, 2006 p45). Partly in the middle of the project, it became emerged that the design changes

Report The impact of development management in Scotland Essay

Report The impact of development management in Scotland - Essay Example The needs of communities worldwide have been radically increased the last decades – the increase of the number of their population and the changes in the patterns/ style of life are considered to be the major reasons for the above outcome. The government in Scotland has produced the Planning Act 2006 aiming to support the spatial planning and development across the particular region – among other benefits also achieved through this legal text; in the above Act a new term, the development management, is introduced; this term replaces the previously used term ‘development control’; the aspects of development management are examined in this paper focusing on the value of this concept on the spatial planning process. The case of Local Development plan produced by the Aberdeenshire Council is used as an example to highlight the value of development management as an effective framework for creating effective spatial plans. The concept of development management has been introduced in order to respond to the increased needs for effective spatial development. In the past, the progress of spatial planning has been monitored using various policies taking into consideration the characteristics and the needs of each community; spatial development emphasizes on the integration of the relevant activities, i.e. the simultaneous development of various planning initiatives so that the improvement of the spatial structure of a specific region to be guaranteed. In this way, development management can lead to the increase of the effectiveness of the governmental policies in relation to the spatial development and control; the improvement of the relationship between the government and the local communities is then expected to follow. In order to understand the value of development management – especially in comparison to previous concepts, like the development control – it is necessary to refer

Explain three (3) world arguments for birth control and two (2) world Essay - 1

Explain three (3) world arguments for birth control and two (2) world arguments against birth control - Essay Example This paper discusses some of the argument for and against birth control in how it also affects world population, the quality of life, and sustainability of subsistence supplies. The first argument against birth control is that any form of birth control is necessarily an ethical question. It means birth control is largely unethical because it is against natural law which is for any native population (human or animal) to be allowed to reproduce to full capacity. The ethics of population control goes beyond mere religion because it is a universal issue that in turn affects the very right of every living organism to be born. On the other side, Nature expectedly will cull the population to limit its growth through diseases which eliminate the sick, the weak, and the infirm. Birth control is just superfluous because Nature will take care of over-population and further, any control is dangerous as it can lead to eugenics (Chesterton & Perry, 2000). A second argument against birth control is that any form of birth control is a variation of a mass suicide. Some authors like to call it the modern version of race suicide as it eliminates the entire race or an ethnic group as its population will gradually dwindle over a period of time. The natural tendency is to let populations flourish and not allow them to perish (Parry, 2013). The first argument is birth control is much preferable compared to allowing conception that is unwanted that will in turn result into the more gruesome abortions. Many pregnancies had ended in tragedy because some females decide to terminate the gestation and this endangered the maternal health in addition to the emotional toll it exacts on the expectant mother. Many of these unwanted pregnancies are from the teenagers and young adults unable to comprehend the complexity and implications of parenthood and birth control will spare them from this agony. A second argument for birth control is it allows for a better